Feline behaviour

Cats are essentially asocial. This is often miscontrued as demeaning by cat lovers (ailurophiles), or sociopathic by ailurophobes. The reason for their asocial nature relates to the hard-wiring of their brain, specifically their cerebral cortex. In order to maximise utilisation of cerebropinal reflexes essential for hunting, cats have evolved into great hunters by maximising physical skills at the expenses of social skills[1].

Specifically, cats lack the mirror neurone complexity [2] common to social animals such as humans and dogs. Therefore, it is physically difficult, if not impossible, for cats to comprehend the full spectrum of human emotions. Like nature herself, cats are not cruel in the way they behave, just indifferent. Cats express fear, disgust, pleasure, but not to the degree seen with humans or dogs. The oft-used metaphor is comparing them to a tone deaf person listening to Mozart. But what they lack in compassion, they more than compensate for with cunning and curiosity[3].

Although bonding does occur between a queen and her kittens (the basic feline social unit), generally speaking, cats bond loosely with other cats or humans. Consequently, they rarely suffer clinically from separation anxiety.

Territoriality is the leading problem with domesticated cats, causing significant stress both between cats and between cats and household owners. A cat’s sense of smell, vision and hearing are critical in most aspect of territoriality.

Because cats lack the executive pre-frontal cortex of homo sapiens, they are limited in their capacity to express stress. Usually stress is manifest as either external or internal (self) destructive behaviour. Although the exact neuroanatomic basis of these changes has not been fully elucidated, the neurophysiology of stress has been well researched and it appears that the plastic neurones of the cortex become fixed at around 6 – 7 months of age, after which, behavior becomes more or less fixed[4]. The response to fear in cats appears to be regulated by interplay between the amygdala and hippocampus[5].

Displacement activities in cats – self-induced circumscribed alopecia of the forelimb in an anxious cat

Paternity appears to be an important determinant of personality in cats. Toms that are adventurous, outgoing, and friendly appear to produce kittens of similar personality. There appear to be genetically “unfriendly,” “timid,” or “shy” cats for which no amount of handling can make a difference; the genetic mechanism for this is poorly understood. The role of early experience and exposure for kittens cannot be overemphasized.

Kittens between 2 and 7 wk of age that are handled by people are friendlier toward people and more outgoing and may have fewer problems with some forms of aggression, although the latter is poorly quantified. The effect of early handling can augment the paternal effect toward a willingness to explore. Between 12 and 14 wk of age, kittens switch from social play to social fighting and a more predatory play. Early weaning will hasten this change[6].

Anxiety displayed by marked inhibition in the consulting room; cat burying itself in a bag

Physical diseases can contribute to changes in temperament and these should be excluded as part of a routine physical examination. Diseases which can cause significant changes to a cat’s temperament include: